Contact: Charity Berry, Public Affairs Specialist
Charity.berry@usda.gov

Trail and area closures in Leverich Canyon and above Kirk Hill

Release Date: Jun 27, 2024

Bozeman, MT—The Bozeman Ranger District will continue implementing fuel reduction work in the Bozeman Municipal Watershed (BMW) project area, south of Bozeman, in the northern Gallatin mountain range.

Fuel reduction work, including logging activities, is picking back up for the BMW Project which is a partnership effort between the City of Bozeman, NRCS, DNRC and is located in Hyalite and Bozeman Creek watersheds. The public can expect to see and hear equipment and crews in the project area while activities continue through the fall season. Starting now, and throughout the summer and fall seasons, management activities will include helicopter logging near Leverich Canyon and Bozeman Creek, and skyline logging in the Moser area, including on National Forest System (NFS) lands above Kill Hill. Trail and area closures are anticipated to occur shortly and could last throughout the season; including Leverich Gulch trails #435 and #436, and trail #428 above Kirk Hill. These temporary closures are necessary to address human safety concerns resulting from ground-based equipment and helicopters working next to and flying over the trails. Due to the type and location of the work, there is a need for complete closures, including evening and weekends until operations are completed in those areas. The public can also expect to see log trucks hauling on Moser, Hyalite Canyon Road, Nash Road and South 19th Avenue. We ask the public to please have situational awareness while traveling these roads and while recreating near active operations.

“I recognize the temporary impacts this project will have on recreational access within the area, but these treatments are absolutely critical in meeting the purpose and need of protecting our community’s municipal watershed, and we want to maximize safety for the public while implementing” said Bozeman District Ranger, Corey Lewellen. “Fortunately, there are other nearby trails that will remain open.”

Closures will only be in place as long as necessary for public safety. Once signed, closure orders and maps will be released and posted for the public and will be lifted once work is completed. This Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Project is a collaborative effort to implement the Wildfire Crisis Strategy – a 10-year strategy to increase the scale and pace of our wildfire prevention efforts while restoring the health of forests, watersheds, and habitats across juridical boundaries.